Bralirwa, the Rwandan subsidiary of Heineken NV has announced it will start making the Heineken brand locally from next month in a bid to cut down on import and distribution costs.

Heineken will be brewed at Bralirwa’s Gisenyi factory in Northern Rwanda, very close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“We believe that this innovation will create additional business opportunities for Bralirwa and for our business partners in Rwanda as well as through export to neighbouring countries,” said Mr Sander Bokelman, Bralirwa’s Supply Chain Director, in a statement on Monday.

“By switching from importing to producing Heineken in Rwanda, Bralirwa will also importantly contribute more in the development of the local economy,” he added.

For consumers, the change will bring down the retail price of Heineken to 800 Rwandan Franc ($0.9231), from Rwf1,000 ($1.13) a bottle.

Bralirwa, Rwanda’s largest brewer with eight beer brands, including Primus and a variety of soft drinks has been importing and distributing Heineken in Rwanda.

The move to local production in Rwanda would make the country the ninth African country where Heineken is brewed locally. The other countries are Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Namibia, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia.

$1 = 866.6300 Rwandan francs